Generational Discipleship

[Read Titus 2:1-10]

Last week, Deb Tallman shared this article that I fit exactly with what we are talking about this morning. Actually, it is speaking exactly in opposition to what we are talking about this morning. 

There is a church in Minnesota that has been struggling for a number of years. They hired a new young guy with a young family to help get the church back up and running. His solution…Get rid of the old people. That’s right. They are planning to close the church, reopen it after a few months, and have asked the older members of the church to stay away for a year or two. After that, they are welcome to come back…Sheesh. (See article here)

This is not honoring to Jesus Christ. Even if this church finds itself growing and energetic, with a youthful spirit, it will not be a successful church. They have removed part of the Body of Christ in the name of building the Body of Christ. They have told the older members, “We don’t need you.” Not only that, but they have told them, “We don’t want you and you’re the reason this church has failed.” Of course, they haven’t said these things explicitly, but sometimes actions speak louder than words. This way of trying to “do church” will not work. When churches don’t understand the importance of the older members of their congregations and push them off to the side in order to “get them out of the way,” they are on the path toward destruction, not toward health. 

Scripture repeatedly teaches that we need examples in our lives. We to be living in community with people who are living out their faith—whose lives are visual examples of their doctrine. Paul tells the Corinthians, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1, NIV). He tells the Philippians, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” (Philippians 3:17, NIV). In Hebrews it says, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7, NIV). We need these people in our lives. We need people whose lives and doctrine are in order—who are living out their doctrine, the Word of God made visible in their life—so that we can follow their example and grow closer to Jesus Christ. This is a necessary aspect of Christian community. If we are going to be a congregation that is Worshiping IN Community, then we need to be a community where we are leading each other by example. 

In this chapter, we see the typical pattern laid out: Older people discipling younger people. Now, there’s a lot of specifics in this passage that we’re not going to dive into. I’ll leave you to study that further on your own. This morning I want to get into the general principle that is laid out—the principle of Generational Discipleship. 

So, we see Paul telling Titus to “Likewise, teach the older women to…train the younger women…” (Titus 2:3–4, NIV). This is pretty straightforward. The older women in the church are called to train—disciple—the younger women in the church. The “Likewise” at the beginning of the passage points back to verse 2 referring to the older men. There is another “Likewise” in verse six, referring to the younger men. All of this to point out that this passage is also saying that the older men of the congregation should be discipling the younger men. The church needs to break free from generational segregation, and begin the intentional process of intergenerational discipleship. I think BOTH the older generation AND the younger generation want this. 

As a youth pastor, I worked diligently to make sure our youth group didn’t become a clique of young people. One of the things we did to help break this generational segregation was through testimonies. We would regularly ask some of the older members from our congregation to join our youth group and tell stories from their past—funny, difficult, emotional, compelling, etc. As I spoke with many of the older people about joining our youth group, many of them responded by saying something like, “Well, I don’t think they really want to hear what I have to say,” or “I don’t think I really have anything to offer them.” Yet, at the end of the ministry year, our students regularly mentioned these times as the Highlight of their entire year. They really wanted to hear what these older members had to say. They really wanted to learn from them about what it means to live the Christian life. They really wanted—needed—to see what it looks like to live out our faith over the long haul. They need someone to imitate. And if you are an older person, that means they need you. 

As a youth pastor, I also encountered another danger to intergenerational discipleship. I talking about this one, I may step on a few toes, but I also feel it is necessary to talk about. Throughout my time in youth ministry, I would occasionally have an older member approach me and voice their concern about how the younger people in the church seemed “cliquey”—they didn’t seem to talk to some of the older people in the church. My response was always, “Have you tried talking to them?” Understand that I don’t want to be rude in saying this. I want to be clear. The responsibility of breaking these trends should lie with the older members of the congregation not the younger generation. God has placed you in a position of wisdom and experience. He has given you a responsibility to disciple the younger generation. Complaining that they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing isn’t good. They need to be discipled. They need to be trained. They need to be equipped. They need to have people in their lives saying, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” God has placed you, as an older member of our congregation, in a position to disciple them. Older women, disciple the younger women. Older men, disciple the younger men.  

One of the things that stands out in this passage is that the discipleship is comprehensive. It covers every aspect of someone’s life. The summary of this is given in verse seven. Paul tells Titus—as the pastor of the church—“In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” (Titus 2:7–8, NIV). So, what areas of life are the older generation supposed to disciple the younger generation? Paul says, “In EVERYTHING…” In everything aspect of your life be an example of good works. In every aspect of your life be an example of good teaching (There’s that Life and Doctrine theme again). Then, if you are to be an example in every aspect of your life, that also means you are to disciple the younger generation in every aspect of their life. 

This is why Paul talks about such basic things as discipling the younger generation in how they work, how they treat their spouse, how they treat their children, how they respond in particular situations, how they carry themselves throughout the day, their attitudes, their thinking, their faith. It’s comprehensive, covering every aspect of their life. 

That’s because this discipleship is less focused on “doing the right things” but on “being the right person”—a person who looks like Christ. Like I’ve mentioned before, the Christian faith is always concerned about actions flowing from the heart. We are to be a certain type of people, then our actions flow from our being. That’s why Paul says, “Teach the older men to be…Likewise, teach the older women to be…” (Titus 2:2–3, NIV). When we focus on “being” a type of person, that “being” comes into contact with every aspect of our life—it affects every aspect of our life. So, the calling of the older men and women of a congregation is to “BE” a people who are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, and then to help train up the younger men and women of the congregation to “BE” people like that too. When we do that, it will begin to change every aspect of our lives. 

In some ways, it seems like an overwhelming and unobtainable goal. How in the world can we actually disciple the younger generation in this comprehensive way? Right? One of the things that stood out to me in this passage was the number of different words that were translated teach. So, in our English bibles, you simply see the word teach, but in the greek Bible, there were four different words used. Each word with a little different nuance. The nuances covered anything from formal to informal teaching. That got me thinking about Jesus and his disciples. 

As you read through the gospels, paying attention to the way Jesus discipled his disciples, you get the sense that there were many different methods involved. The Sermon on the Mount was directed at his disciples, so we can see that he had some formal, structured teaching in place as a way of discipling them (Remember, Life and Doctrine are always connected). Yet, there are also instances when they were just walking down the road and come to a fig tree and Jesus uses it as an illustration. Or other times when they are talking about life and ministry together, hanging out, eating and drinking together, simply doing life together. Jesus used both formal and informal methods to disciple his disciples. Then, right before he ascended into heaven, he told his disciples to make more disciples, which they began to do—unsurprisingly—in the same way that Jesus discipled them. 

So, we don’t want to get rid of either of these methods. It is really important for us to have formal discipleship—Sunday School classes, teaching sessions, Bible Studies, etc..—and for these to be done intergenerationally. However, it’s also important for us to simply Worship IN Community—to do life together. For older women to hang out with the younger women. For older men to mow lawns and rake leaves together. For older members to simply do life with the younger members. And, by doing life together, you begin to influence and disciple and have opportunities to talk about how Jesus affects every aspect of your life, and together you both become more like Christ. 

That’s really the goal of discipleship. I love how Paul describes it at the end of this passage. He speaks about living “so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.” (Titus 2:10, NIV). (There’s Life and Doctrine again). The goal is lives that are beautiful. Attractive lives that are living out the teaching of God our Savior. When we truly live out the teaching of God, our lives will be attractive and beautiful. 

Just look at Jesus. Nobody that I know—atheist, skeptic, agnostic—says that Jesus’ life was ugly. None. Whether they believe Jesus was the Son of God, our Savior, or not, they still see his life as beautiful. Isn’t that powerful? That’s because Jesus is the Word of God—the perfect fulfillment of everything God has ever said and taught. And because of that, his life is beautiful and attractive—even to those who deny Him.

That’s why discipleship is about saying, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” It’s about pursuing Jesus Christ with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and then loving our neighbor by helping them pursue Him as well. As we do this together, IN Community, Older generation to Younger generation, we will all be transformed more fully into the image of Jesus Christ, and we will increasingly live the beautiful, attractive life God has created us to live.